


Taken

by the_writer1988



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider Needs a Hug, F/M, Friendship, Hurt Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Protective Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Protective Varian (Disney), Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29759148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_writer1988/pseuds/the_writer1988
Summary: A trip out of Corona goes horribly wrong when Varian is forced to leave Eugene in the hands of a group of bandits. Little do the two know that Eugene’s capture is part of a bigger plot to bring the Royal Family down forever.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41





	1. Captured

**Author's Note:**

> Simply put, there isn't enough Eugene whump around, so I'm writing my own.

**ONE**

**Captured**

Varian ran.

He was out of breath and his side hurt from running so hard. He didn’t know if he’d lost his pursuers or not. He couldn’t hear anyone chasing him. Varian slowed, his legs aching more and more from pushing himself too hard.

It was getting dark and the cool air swept through the forest around him. He shivered. He had nothing on him apart from the clothes he had been wearing when Eugene had ordered him to run. No coat, nothing. He hadn’t even managed to grab his Alchemy bag either. Some of the stuff inside it could have proven useful if he had been able to grab it.

But there had been too many bandits.

A simple trip out to find some ingredients had turned into a disaster. They had been planning on staying the night, and they’d walked from Corona instead of using the horses.

Varian bit his lower lip. What should he do? Eugene was in trouble.

Spotting a thick bush, Varian pushed aside the undergrowth to find a small space he could climb into. If he was being pursued, he needed to hide. Running would only exhaust him further and he needed the rest if he was going to make it back to Corona and get help.

Without his bag of tricks, he wouldn’t be able to do anything for Eugene on his own.

He pummelled his fists into the dirt, curled up into the tightest ball he could manage. “Why did I ever suggest this trip?”

Varian closed his eyes, keeping his breathing as low as possible, wondering how long he should wait before attempting to escape further. His head ached and his throat felt parched. _Eugene…_

He should have done more. He couldn’t stop the memories from rushing to the forefront of his mind.

\- - - - -

_They had come out of nowhere._

_A large group of bandits surrounded them and their camp._

_Varian’s alchemy bag was on the other side of the clearing – he wouldn’t be able to reach it. The way back to Corona was in the opposite direction to his bag, but he’d have to go through the bandits to reach it. He never liked leaving it behind._

_Eugene’s sword was also stacked against the bag, the two had been sorting out the rest of the camp when they had been ambushed. In hindsight, they really shouldn’t have left their most useful tools away from them. But Eugene had already scouted out the area barely five minutes before and hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. The bandits had pounced when they had least expected it._

_Varian stepped back, casting his gaze around. The bandits moved towards them, holding a variety of weapons among them._

_“Kid… run,” Eugene brushed his hand against Varian’s shoulder. “Get back to Corona.”_

_“No! I can’t-!” Varian couldn’t leave him. He saw Eugene held a dagger in his hand._

_“Don’t bother fighting us,” said one of the bandits, advancing forward, holding a long sword in Eugene’s direction._

_Varian glanced over his shoulder. The bandits had nearly circled them completely. If he did as Eugene instructed, he’d be able to escape but he couldn’t just leave…_

_“Kid… if they catch you, they’ll hurt you to get answers from me,” whispered Eugene. “I can’t let that happen and you’re fast and small enough to lose them.”_

_Varian knew Eugene had a point._

_“Get back to Corona and warn them.” Eugene was slowly stepping back, dragging Varian with him. “There are too many bandits here for them to be here just to rob us. Something else is going on.”_

_“You’re smart, perhaps too smart,” the head bandit commented. “You should know you cannot fight us.”_

_Varian didn’t hear Eugene’s reply, only felt his collar being grabbed and he was being pushed away from Eugene._

_“GO!”_

_Varian stumbled back and saw Eugene run for the head bandit. With just a dagger in his hand, he didn’t stand a chance as the bandit side-stepped, bringing his sword up and out the way and bringing the hilt down hard on the back of Eugene’s head._

_Eugene fell to the ground, unmoving._

_Varian’s eyes widened. “No!” He began to step back towards the bandits but the leader whirled on him._

_“Get the kid!”_

_Ignoring what his heart was telling him to do, Varian turned on his heels and ran as fast as he could into the forest, knowing he had to get back to Corona._

_Eugene was right._

_There were too many bandits for them to simply be just common thieves. Something else was at play here._

\- - - - -

“I left him… I left him…” Varian felt awful, his chest tight from the sobs wracking his body. Seeing Eugene’s body hit the floor had been awful. When the bandits had turned their attention on him, he’d known he had to run and _fast_ if he was to return to Corona and get help.

They hadn’t even bought the horses with them for this trip, making it at least a day’s trek back. At Varian’s current speed and exhaustion, it would take him longer, especially if he had to make sure he wasn’t being followed or hunted. Eugene didn’t have _days_.

If Eugene was correct, the bandits posed a bigger threat than either of them realised.

Crawling out of his hiding place, Varian continued to run.

\- - - - -

When the hilt hit the back of his head it had left Eugene dazed, enough that the bandits were able to descend upon him, grab him by the arms and twist the knife out of his fingers. He tried to fight, kicking back, trying to wrench his arms free. He couldn’t.

“Let… me… go!” They were too strong for him.

“Someone knock him out!” a shout went out.

Eugene felt something sharp on the back of his head and his whole body went limp again. He wasn’t completely out of it but enough he wasn’t able to put up a fight but he knew what was going on. Dazed, he could do nothing against his captors.

His arms were wrenched tight behind his back and tied with thick rope at the wrists. Similarly, his ankles were tied together too.

He was dragged forward to the centre of the camp he and Varian had made and was dropped roughly on the dirt.

Groaning, he blinked several times, fighting to stay conscious.

“I know we didn’t knock you out completely… Come on, talk to us. Who are you?”

Eugene gasped and coughed as pain shot across his skull. “I’m… no one…” He hissed. He looked up.

The head Bandit was kneeling down next to him. He wore standard travelling clothes but had enough weapons on himself that he would be a formidable opponent. His eyes were dark and his hair was tied back, highlighting a hardened face.

His captor laughed. “Come now, we’re not stupid. You may be dressed as a commoner but you are not one by far.”

“How’d… you… figure?” Eugene slurred, his brain working slower than usual due to the hits on his skull.

“Two things. Your sword. Quite a fancy one at that.” The bandit indicated Eugene’s sword which was lying off to the side. “And, two, you’re married. That fancy ring on your finger tells us a lot. We’ve bagged ourselves someone important. You might be able to tell us the information we need to get who we are really after!”

Eugene laughed, despite the ache in his head. “Oh, you’ve got the wrong end… of the… stick! I… stole… ‘em!” His mind was already moving ahead. By the sounds of it, they were after someone important anyway. 

The Bandit cocked his head to the side. “Make it easier on yourself. Tell me who you _really_ are.”

“I’m no one.” Eugene’s answer would not change. “There is nothing you can do to me which will change my answer.” He would not betray his family.

“I don’t need to.” The Bandit picked up Varian’s Alchemy bag. “Recognise this?”

“Just… my… friend’s…” whispered Eugene. “Nothing… of… worth… in there…” Though he knew they’d have ruffled through it by now. Hopefully, Varian hadn’t brought anything with him that he hadn’t needed for this trip, but he couldn’t help the ominous feeling gripping his stomach. The Bandit seemed so sure Eugene would talk.

“What about this?” The Bandit held something up in front of Eugene’s sight.

Eugene’s eyes widened when he saw the bottle in the head bandit’s hand.

Upon it was a label scrawled in Varian’s messy handwriting.

_Truth Serum._

Eugene swallowed. There would be no way of hiding his true identity now. _I’m in trouble._

**To be continued...**


	2. Truth Serum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Two**

**Truth Serum**

Exhaustion continued to overcome him as Varian continued to run through the forest. Guilt gnawed at him for leaving Eugene behind. There wouldn’t have been anything he could have done without his bag of tricks. He slowed, panting heavily, ears listening out for pursuit.

He couldn’t hear anything around him save for the natural wildlife. Birds chirped in the trees and wild animals roamed the forest floors. He was still quite a way from the Kingdom. It was steadily getting darker. He’d have to make a choice soon: whether to stop and rest for the night or keep going.

“Eugene doesn’t have a night. If they find out who he is –” Varian groaned. “Oh no.” He ran his hands down his face. “The serum! Why did I put the Truth Serum in my bag?”

There was no doubt they would investigate the contents of the bag for anything of value.

He kicked the forest floor in frustration sending up sprouts of grass. “I did it in case we needed it.”

This changed things.

He couldn’t stop. He had to keep going.

If they discovered the Truth Serum they’d probably use it on Eugene… If they were unfamiliar with the area and they learned they had captured a member of the Royal Family… Varian didn’t want to think of the consequences. Nor did he want to think of what Rapunzel would do when she learned of what had befallen her husband.

“I really hope they don’t find the Serum,” said Varian.

He picked up the pace once more and continued on his way back to the Kingdom, wishing they’d brought the horses instead of taking the opportunity to walk.

Everything that could have gone wrong had done so. 

And it would be Varian’s fault if something happened to Eugene because he’d stupidly packed the truth serum!

“Gotta keep going!”

\- - - - -

Eugene struggled against the grip the two bandits had on his arms as they hauled him into a sitting position against the tree trunk. He glared at his captors as they tied two lengths of rope over his chest to keep him upright against the tree. They really did not want him escaping though it was unlikely considering how tight his wrists and ankles were tired.

Who he presumed was the head bandit knelt down beside him. “I’m going to give you one last chance to tell us who you are and I won’t use this.” He held up the bottle of Truth Serum.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I did.” Eugene was certain any answer he gave would be confirmed via the Truth Serum.

“You’re right. We would use this to verify.” The bandit shook the bottle in front of Eugene’s face. He unstopped the bottle. “Drink.”

Eugene pursed his lips and leaned back against the tree, turning his head away. He wasn’t going to drink it willingly, not when he knew the answers he would give would not do anything in his favour.

“You’re really stubborn, ain’t you, boy?” the Bandit remarked. “Gonna make me do this the hard way.”

Eugene knew what was coming before it happened, and he could do nothing to stop it. The Bandit pinched his nose so he couldn’t breathe. He tried to keep his mouth closed. He’d rather fall unconscious than have the truth serum forcibly put down his throat. The urge to breathe was too strong and he had to take a deep breath much to his chagrin.

The bandit took full advantage of his open mouth and poured the potion down his throat before forcing his jaw shut and keeping his mouth closed. No matter how hard he tried to spit it out, he couldn’t, and he was forced to swallow. The bandit stepped away, smiling, stoppering the bottle. He’d given Eugene at least half of the bottle.

A sour taste settled in his mouth and Eugene coughed, trying to rid himself of it. He could try to sick up the serum but his body would already be absorbing it and it was unlikely he would escape any of its side-effects. He scrunched his eyes shut, trying to stop himself from groaning as a feeling of uncomfortableness settled in.

“Did I give you too much? Feeling you would like to spill something?” the bandit asked.

Eugene tried to keep his mouth shut, but as the bandit had phased his words as a question, he could feel his body wanting to speak. _Resist. Resist._

Pain wracked his tummy and Eugene wanted to curl into a ball to numb the pain as best he could. Varian had to create a truth serum which bought pain to the drinker if they didn’t answer, didn’t he? Why did the kid even think it was a good idea to bring truth serum on this trip?

Eugene groaned, his head hanging down.

The bandit watched him curiously, waiting.

The pain increased.

“Urgh!” Eugene couldn’t stop himself. “Yes! No!”

The two answers tumbled forth before he could stop himself.

The pain instantly stopped and Eugene took in deep breaths.

The head bandit grinned. “Interesting.”

Eugene was biting his lower lip in frustration at being unable to resist the truth serum. This was going to be very bad for him if they asked the right questions. He could see the other bandits around the camp. He could count at least twenty of them, a large amount for bandits. He knew they were up to something else. Twenty bandits in one group were unusual.

“Who are you?”

Clamping his mouth shut again, Eugene fought the urge to answer. The pain began to build in his belly. He scrunched his eyes shut, waiting, resisting. “No… no…” Fire erupted and he would have buckled if he hadn’t been secured to the tree.

The bandit casually stood in front of him, watching and waiting, knowing his prisoner would eventually talk.

The pain was electrifying and intense. Pressure in his brain started as he fought past the threshold he had hit before. His very bones began to ache. What had Varian put in this to make it hurt so much?

He hit his head back against the tree, hoping he could knock himself out but one of the bandits gripped his hair to hold his head still.

It was _unbearable_.

Not being able to stop himself was the worst thing.

And he hated every second his voice betrayed him and revealed his identity.

“Prince Eugene…”

The bandit’s eyes widened in glee.

But Eugene hadn’t finished, and he was still trying to fight against the urge to speak. “Captain… of… the… Guard… and… Husband to… Princess… Rapunzel… Heir… to… the… throne… of… Corona…” He slumped as the truth was ripped from his lips. At least he didn’t really consider himself a Prince of the Dark Kingdom… that little titbit would only make things worse. He had become a Prince of Corona upon his marriage to Rapunzel though and would be Prince Consort once she was crowned Queen.

The Bandit knelt beside him and gently lifted his chin. “Well, well, well… We’ve caught ourselves someone very valuable. We thought we’d have to get into the city to grab someone that important…”

Eugene’s stomach tightened. They’d been after a member of the Royal Family anyway and it had only been luck that they’d found him.

“We were prepared to lose some of us in an effort to grab one of the Royals. And now we don’t have to.”

“Guess there is no way you’re letting me go, right?” Eugene asked. It was a fruitless question.

The leader smirked. “Not a chance.” He pulled a knife from his belt, placing the tip of it underneath Eugene’s chin. “See, we’ve been paid a lot of money to grab one of the royals. You’re one of the targets. We didn’t expect to find you out here though. Lucky for us we decided to crash your little expedition. We were gonna bypass your camp, see.”

Eugene tried not to swallow.

“Who are you working for?” He figured he may as well try though he was the one under truth serum.

“You’ll find out when we bring you to them,” replied the Bandit. He chuckled. “Can’t believe we nabbed one of the Royal Family outside the city.” He moved away, removing the knife from underneath his prisoner’s chin.

“Lucky me,” growled Eugene.

“We had hoped to take the Princess. She’s worth more than you. But our benefactor explained _you_ were more easily obtainable. We just didn’t know what you looked like. We would have had to have scouted the city to find out who you were before taking you.” He held up the little bottle of truth serum. “It was lucky you had this. If you hadn’t talked, we would have killed you.”

“Would have been better,” muttered Eugene under his breath. His death would have hurt Rapunzel but that would have meant he couldn’t be used against the people he loved. Alive he could be.

The bandit smirked, glancing up at the darkening sky. “We’ll move out first thing in the morning. Back the way we came. And to us getting paid!”

Eugene tried to struggle against his binds. He had to get away before he could be used against his family.

The ropes around his chest, securing him to the tree were loose… Perhaps he could slip underneath them?

The bandits were rounding up around the campfire and he was left alone to his own devices. If they thought he was secure he may have a chance of escaping. Though his problem was he couldn’t undo the rest of the ropes. But he knew this forest better than the bandits did. They were new to the area.

There was a chance… If they didn’t keep guards on him and they all slept overnight, he may stand a chance at escaping.

It was risky and would probably make things worse for him if they caught him again, but that didn’t matter to him.

_I have to try._

He was NOT going to be used against his family. 

\- - - - -

Night had fallen.

Varian was exhausted.

He was parched and hungry.

His legs ached with the continual running.

“I can’t… stop… Eugene… needs… help.”

Darkness seemed to cloud his vision. He was going to collapse. He could feel it.

He couldn’t _stop._ He had to keep on going.

Varian barely made it another five steps before his legs gave way and he lost consciousnesses.

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Eugene may be a Prince of the Dark Kingdom but I don't think he really considers himself a Prince or the Heir. His loyalty is to Corona and I'm not sure if he would accept being the crown prince of the Dark Kingdom. My understanding is that upon marriage to Rapunzel, the King could grant him the title of Prince of Corona so I've gone with that. 
> 
> The next chapter will be posted soon. :)
> 
> Until then,
> 
> the-writer1988


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